Looking after No 1! Courtois stalls Chelsea talks until after World Cup in bid to replace Cech

Thibaut Courtois has told Chelsea he will not open talks on his future until after the World Cup leaving Jose Mourinho with six months to stew over a choice between him and Petr Cech.

Chelsea have made Courtois a formal proposal of a two-year extension to his contract which expires in 2016 and were hoping to open talks before the end of the season.

But the 21-year-old Belgian has made it known he will not sign a new deal without assurances that he will be given the chance to establish himself as the No 1 at Stamford Bridge and that he will not entertain the idea of another year on loan.

He is midway through his third season
on loan at Atletico Madrid and his splendid form in La Liga has
attracted interest from Europe's biggest clubs, including Barcelona.

A strong performance as Belgium's No 1 at a World Cup where the country is tipped to do well will only serve to increase the demand for his services.

Courtois
will seek a permanent transfer if Mourinho elects to stick with Cech as
his first-choice goalkeeper beyond this season and a move to Spain
would appeal. He has a Spanish girlfriend and is settled in Madrid.

Chelsea,
however, would seek offers starting at £33.5million for the player they
signed from Genk for £9m in 2011. All of which presents Mourinho to
consider a huge decision.

Cech,
despite a rare mistake in the 2-2 draw against West Bromwich Albion, on
Saturday, has been a commanding presence again this season.

The Czech is 10 years older than Courtois but at 31, a goalkeeper can
expect to play at the top for years to come. He will not be at the World
Cup as the Czech Republic failed to qualify.

Cech is also a highly respected and thoughtful dressing room voice and one of the leaders of the Chelsea squad.

He
signed a contract after his heroic role in the 2012 Champions League
win which ties him to the club until 2016, the same as Courtois. He is
only four short of Peter Bonetti's club record of 208 clean sheets.

Mourinho
thought it was vital to keep his experience and leadership qualities at
Stamford Bridge this season as the younger elements of the team develop
but that may have altered by the end of the season.

Patience: Jose Mourinho will have to wait until after the World Cup to make a decision

It boils down to a direct choice between five-to-10 more years of Cech
or 15-20 years of Courtois, who is in Belgium's squad for friendlies
against Colombia and Japan. It has been on the horizon for some time and
will loom a little larger between now and the end of the season.

After his spell at Real Madrid, Mourinho knows Courtois well and must
offset the appeal of a younger model against the steadying influence of
Cech, who has shown no desire to leave Chelsea.

Cech's family are settled in London and he has always hinted that he would happily end his career at Stamford Bridge.

He
is not one to shirk a challenge but whether he would be satisfied on
the bench is another matter, especially when there would be plenty of
prestigious clubs interested in him.

Wanted: Barcelona are interested in Courtois (left), although the fee is likely to exceed £30m

When
he arrived in London, Cech was the 22-year-old who fought his way past
Carlo Cudicini, a popular and successful Chelsea goalkeeper, almost a
decade his senior.

One sub-plot which may influence Mourinho's thinking is that his
assistant first-team coach and confidante Silvino Louro is actually a
goalkeeper coach by trade, although he does not fulfil this role at
Chelsea where the goalkeepers continue to work with Christophe
Lollichon.

Lollichon
is the goalkeeper coach who arrived from Rennes on Cech's personal
recommendation in 2007 when Mourinho, Louro and the rest of the backroom
team were fired. The pair have a very close working relationship and friendship.

If Cech were to move on and take Lollichon with him, Mourinho would at least be able to restore Louro to his specialist role.

One
way or another, Chelsea appear set to lose the services of a very good
goalkeeper in the summer and they must make the right choice.